


The Last of the Romantics

by Bellakitse



Series: 30 days of Tarlos [3]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Lust at First Sight, M/M, Matchmaking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:54:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24524968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bellakitse/pseuds/Bellakitse
Summary: Michelle has a history of setting Carlos up with the worse guys possible, she swears this time it's different.*“Tell me about him,” he says resigned, knowing he’s been played by the way Michelle instantly perks up.“He’s one of the new members at the 126,” she starts with a grin. “And Carlos, he’s sopretty.”
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Michelle Blake & Carlos Reyes (9-1-1 Lone Star)
Series: 30 days of Tarlos [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1769356
Comments: 29
Kudos: 451





	The Last of the Romantics

**Author's Note:**

> 30 days of Tarlos - Day 3
> 
> inspired by [lauraperfectinsanity](https://lauraperfectinsanity.tumblr.com/) prompt [here](https://lauraperfectinsanity.tumblr.com/post/616587216579346432)

There is a bright devious smile on Michelle’s face when Carlos sits down across from her for their lunch. It’s familiar, and it sends a chill down his spine when paired with her earlier message to him that he just _had_ to meet her for lunch.

“No,” he says as he puts his plate on the table.

“You haven’t even heard what I have to say,” she complains.

“ _Yeah_ , because we haven’t been friends for over seven years,” he says sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he squeezes lime juice over his carnitas tacos. “Not like I don’t know your ‘I found the perfect guy for you this time, Carlos _, really’_ face.”

He raises a brow at her, daring her to prove him wrong, and Michelle frowns back at him, pouting for all of ten seconds before she’s smiling again all cheery.

“ _Fine_ , you’re right,” she starts, holding up a hand when he starts to groan. “But this time, I _did_ find the perfect guy for you, so stop giving me that face.”

Carlos looks at her for a moment, and she locks eyes with him, staring back in a battle of wills.

“That’s what you said about Robert Greene,” he says, pleased when Michelle makes a face at the name.

“He – “ she starts, ready to argue.

“Was in a cult,” he says, not giving her the chance.

“Okay so maybe – “

“Then there was that EMT acquaintance of yours, Joe?” he says like he doesn’t remember the weirdo. “With the extreme medical kink he wanted to take into the bedroom.”

“He was gross,” she admits with a shudder.

“ _Michael_ ,” he continues with emphasis. “Who I still say was a drug mule and wanted to use me as an alibi.”

Michelle lets out a huff, rolling her eyes at him. “Do you have a point, Carlos?”

“My _point_ ,” he says back with as much attitude as she’s giving him. “Is that when you find the ‘perfect guy’ for me, he ends up being a weirdo, a creep, or a criminal. I love you, Michelle, but you suck at matchmaking.”

Michelle’s shoulders drop, making him feel bad instantly. He tries hard not to cave, he knows from too many bad dates – not just the three men he mentioned – that Michelle’s taste in men for him is awful. Still, he’s never been good at saying no to his friend, so with a deep sigh, he gives in.

“Tell me about him,” he says resigned, knowing he’s been played by the way Michelle instantly perks up.

“He’s one of the new members at the 126,” she starts with a grin. “And Carlos, he’s so _pretty_.”

Carlos listens to his friend as she sings the praises of this new guy, the Captain’s son, himself a firefighter, handsome, and friendly, according to her. And although Michelle’s track record is horrible, he finds himself agreeing to stop by the firehouse some evening for dinner to meet the guy.

֍֍֍

There isn’t a chance for the dinner until two weeks later; his schedule gets insane as they work on a string of home invasions. Before they lost the original 126, he used to come to the firehouse all the time. They were his friends; it wasn’t easy to go back after losing them, but as he walks into the house, so different from before, he lets out the breath he’s been holding as he finds an entirely different place. It makes it easier to be there.

“Reyes!” he hears someone shout out, and he finds himself smiling as he looks up to find Judd Ryder on top of one of the trucks with another firefighter, his back to him.

“Hey, Judd,” he greets his friend with a wave as he walks towards him.

Judd climbs down from the rig, a broad smile on his face that Carlos hasn’t seen in a while. He gives him a back-slapping hug, knocking the air out of him for a moment. Over Judd’s shoulder, he sees that his friend’s crew member has also climbed down the truck, a smirk on his face as Judd hugs him tight.

“It’s been a while, kid,” Judd says as he pulls back, smiles still firmly in place. “What brings you by?”

“Michelle,” he answers, rolling his eyes. “She invited me to dinner to meet the new crew,” he says meaningfully and _knows_ Judd understands by the way his eyes light up with amusement. He’s known Judd and his wife Grace almost as long as he’s known Michelle; as a result, Judd has had a front-row seat to Michelle’s matchmaking for years.

“ _Ah_ ,” he says knowingly. “Well then, allow me to introduce you to my boy here,” Judd turns to his friend with a smirk. “Pretty sure he’s who Michelle wants you to meet. This is TK Strand, TK; this is Carlos Reyes from the APD.”

Carlos locks eyes with the man his friend is introducing to him and quickly concludes that Michelle sold him short when describing him. She said he was handsome, but TK Strand is so much more than that. He’s downright gorgeous, with beautiful bottle-green eyes, soft-looking brown hair, and a face that leaves Carlos a little stunned as he stares back. The rest of him, dressed in a fitted grey Austin Fire shirt and black work pants, is downright drool-worthy.

“ _Yeah_ ,” TK says with a nod of his head. “Captain Blake has mentioned you once or twice,” a slow-building grin crossing his kissable mouth. “Or maybe a dozen times, she seems to think we’d hit it off.”

Carlos cringes at the laughter he hears in TK’s voice. _Damn it, Michelle._

“So, tell me why you’re the perfect guy for me,” TK continues bluntly, the smirk on his face is as sexy as it is annoying.

Carlos’ eyes go wide as he chokes on his own saliva. “ _Excuse me_?” he asks, his voice higher than he would like.

TK holds up his hands in front of him, giving him a shrug that just draws his attention to his nice-looking arms in that tight shirt of his. “Hey, that’s what Michelle said,” he tells him, and Carlos can feel his face go red with embarrassment. He glares at Judd when the older man chuckles at his expense.

“I’m gonna go check on dinner,” Judd says, taking a few steps away, barely hiding his continued amusement. “You’re lucky Reyes, Strickland is cooking tonight, and he’s really good. Almost as good as you. So stick around.”

He turns away, heading for the kitchen, leaving Carlos with a grinning TK.

“Please tell me she didn’t say that,” he begs once they’re alone. “ _Please_.”

“Sorry,” TK answers, wrinkling his nose adorably, and Carlos has to bite down on his lip to keep from whimpering at just how cute he is.

“She didn’t out and out say it, but she also hasn’t been subtle about it at all, and I know a matchmaking scheme when I hear one,” TK grins again before slowly looking him up and down. “She’s been telling me about your many, _many_ attributes.”

“ _Fuck me_ ,” Carlos groans, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Take me out on a date _first_ , and then we’ll see about that,” TK answers easily, and Carlos finds himself staring at the handsome guy in front of him with eyes wide as saucers.

“Are you serious?” he asks after he collects his tongue off the ground.

TK smiles at him again, a little shy for someone who just suggested they might sleep together, and Carlos is weirdly charmed by the contradiction.

“Michelle made you sound like a dream,” he confesses. “And you _look_ like a walking, wet dream,” he flirts, brazen again.

It makes Carlos dizzy with excitement as he tries to stay on his toes and keep up.

“Michelle is my best friend; she likes to hype me up,” he tells him. He likes TK already, he’s more than willing to take him on a date and see if this electricity he feels between them can be the start of something, but he doesn’t want the guy to go in with unrealistic expectations. “I would love to take you out, but you need to know I’m just a regular guy, I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

TK’s expression turns gentle at his words; his green eyes are soft and kind.

“If even a third of what she told me about you is true,” he starts to say softly. “Then there’s no way I’ll be disappointed.”

Carlos smiles back at him; he feels himself humming with anticipation. “How does Friday sound then? Dinner?”

“Friday works,” TK grins back at him happily. “Now come on, you didn’t just come to meet me, and Judd wasn’t kidding, Paul’s food is fantastic,” he tells him.

Proving that he’s not done surprising him, TK holds out his hand to him.

He stares at it for a moment before taking it, letting out a small gasp at the way his body lights up when he and TK touch. The amazed look TK gives him back tells him he’s not the only one who felt it.

It’s that feeling, the touch of TK’s hand, and the prospect of Friday and with any hope, many Fridays to come, that keeps him from rolling his eyes when he and TK walk into the kitchen, and he locks eyes with a smirking Michelle.

If she finally hit a home run on the matchmaking – and he thinks as he looks at TK only to find his eyes already on him that maybe she has – he’ll let her be smug forever.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](https://bellakitse.tumblr.com/)


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